Came here because my cousin that is visiting the country wanted to go thrift shopping. I automatically thought of PB and a friend told me she sold some of her clothes at PB so I suggested this place. It is a nice big location. Saw a lot of cute things in the window of course so I started to browse the racks. Found a lot of cute articles of clothing but not my size!! Cute shoes but not my size!! Found a dress I really liked but it would probably just be sitting in my closet instead of in the store and i'd be down $20. A few cute rings caught my eye but they couldn't fit my fat fingers!! no such luck for me. My cousin however found a ton of stuff. She spent over $100 there and ended up getting this fancy buffalo exchange shopping bag. Very friendly staff as well. It is a hit or miss store. Kinda like how I feel about most stores. If you are looking for a deal and don't mind searching racks then this is a good place for a great bargain. read more

The first time I discovered this chain of resale stores was when I was in 7th grade doing a street clean-up for Leo Club. My friend and I walked by it and wanted to check it out after we were done cleaning up. I fell in love with an ice blue, high collared, satin jacket that was under $20 and bought it. Years later, I still shop at Buffalo Exchanges, mostly the Hillcrest location though. What's good about this location is they accepted more of my Roxy clothes when I was going through that phase since it is a beach town. The clothes fit a more laid-back vibe here than in Hillcrest which made me want to sell my stuff here when I was younger. The clothes I've found there today don't fit my style that much and I've chosen Hillcrest over PB due to proximity and style. It's still a great location where you can check out the casual and formal clothing and find a good variety of items there that are different from the so-called surfer vibe PB evokes. Good finds I found at PB include a pair of Marc Jacob pants which I turned into capris, TUK high tops, and a few graphic tees. read more

Unfortunately I won't be shopping here anymore. I've been coming here for years and I had a really unpleasant and unpleasant customer service experience here today. I initially bought a dress for a party but ended up not wearing it. Upon purchasing the dress, I was told by the sales associate I have 30 days to exchange. So I came back two weeks later to evenly exchange the dress for another dress. A manager has to approve any store return or exchange. He rudely said I couldn't return the dress because they only have a 5 day window to exchange any item. It was only 2 weeks. Not only was I shocked by the unprofessionalism, but also just the lack of communication about their policy. I've worked in retail for 10 years and usually you try to come to a compromise with the customer so everyone's happy in the situation. But I was miss treated and treated like I didn't know what I was talking about. So in the end I ended up paying full price for the dress I wanted to exchange and they initially were not gonna take back the draft that I purchased from them. But when I asked if I could just donate the item back they said that they didn't have room on the racks which wasn't true because I just shopped there and the kicker is if he told me that fashion changes every two weeks so the item that I was returning wasn't in style anymore which baffled me. I would not recommend anyone treating or donating their clothes here. I just think that the management and staff has gone downhill by not only customer service but true professionalism. They were extremely rude and I will no longer be doing any more shopping here which is sad because I love the store but I won't be treated like that in any retail setting. I have the upmost respect for anyone who works in the retail or service industry, I was calm about the entire situation. Don't go here! read more

Workers are very childish , in the middle of a buy all the workers went to pet the dog instead of being professional and finishing the buy. Took an extra 30 mins to finish the buy. They were chit chatting , twirling their hair. read more

I love buffalo exchange, I get all my clothes from there and the quality is great. Some people think they're going to take all the clothes they don't like, and that's not how it works. They buy clothes that people will buy, and are good quality. I'm shocked the ratings are so bad- probably just upset people that are hurt they don't want all there stuff, and want to rant. I LOVE buffalo exchange and always recommend it! read more

The store manager was RUDE! She was passive aggressive as I was trying to ask questions about the selling process. I will be going to the Hillcrest location from now on. read more

Unfortunately if you are selling, a total waste of time. The staff is lovely; they are super sweet and try to manage your time as much as possible and keep the selling line moving which I appreciated. However, it seems like the store is so oversaturated with items because it's one of the only consignment stores in town that they barely take anything from the sellers. I was in line behind five other people and thankfully only had to wait about 20 minutes to sell, however I did see that pretty much every person in line in front of me that was selling only got to sell 1 to 3 items no matter how much they had brought to sell. Also, unfortunately the amount that they pay you for your items is incredibly super low. For example, I had a brand new pair of white Birkenstocks that were a gift from a friend that was too small. They offered me seven dollars for a brand new pair of white leather Berks. This is kind of crazy because I know that they cost about 80 bucks in the store and I Buffalo Exchange they were only going to charge 30 for customers and so then they give you seven dollars which is a little over 20% of their price. This is not a terrible percentage however for such an expensive item brand new, it makes no sense to sell it to the consignment store if you're only going to get a few dollars for it. It's much better to just sell it on offer up and you can charge much closer to what the item is actually worth. Again, the staff were lovely; the store just seems completely over saturated with items and every single aisle is packed to the brim with clothes. Definitely not worth dropping by if you actually intend to make any money off of selling; I would just suggest selling on offer up instead or maybe Facebook marketplace. But props to the staff for being congenial and helpful with explaining how much you would receive from which item and if you did not want to sell the one or few things that they picked, they promptly return the item to you. read more

Not my favorite one. I prefer Hillcrest even though it's smaller. The employees are just so much more helpful and will help you find clothes to put an outfit together. The selection here isn't that bad though, it's just a tad too expensive for used and worn clothes. read more

Cute clothes sales people not the brightest bulbs. After standing for 20 min one of them realized I was in wrong spot. WTF. Selection varies greatly like goodwill and such. Hit or miss. The staff are not great and have an attitude, not sure why. This is Pacific Beach, land of thrift stores, not Nordstroms. read more

Buffalo Exchange - Two salespeople one customer way too much work. Grew up in Newport Beach attitude needs to go - Women's Clothing Near Me - San Diego, California

As other reviewers have noted, there is a very specific style of clothes they are looking for. And will not buy out of season at all. It does seem right now they have more selection to be pickier than usual, but I haven't had much luck in the two attempts I've made to sell here. It is disappointing to see that there is a demand for classic styles and more office appropriate clothing from the reviews, but at the same time I brought in 3 pairs of new with tags on slacks in women's size 6 and was turned away. Same for the 2 pairs of like new black leather shoes. I do want to shop here, but I prefer a classic style and the clothes they stock are typically fast fashion, they are looking for items that are in stores now. Unfortunately, the prices are right up there with Nordstrom Rack, I checked a few dresses and pants found them to be in the $20-35 range. The employees are sweet though and the store is overall clean, hence the 3 stars. read more

First time selling here and it was not it. Completely low balling every item I brought in. The guy who I sold to went over all the items he was going to take and I noticed when I got home that he didn't tell me he was going to take a playboy crop top. I called and they said someone must have bought it. Shits a jokeeee! Don't sell here. They ended up getting a playboy shirt that's going for $50 and I only got around $5 for it. LLLL! The people working here think that they are all that and a bag of chips read more

Yo this place. Fire. They always have great finds. I found a 14k ring the other day. I was ecstatic. Just don't get overwhelmed. Looked quickly through everything and you will find a hidden gem that suits your style. I don't live full time in San Diego anymore but a worker said they're hiring and I debated coming back just to work here. I love everything I have gotten. I got timbs for $45!!! read more

This place is holding on for dear life . They can't buy your brand new clothes because they're not selling anything . Their stores are FULL . They have to make profit . The employees get paid chump change so they're all rude , don't expect much y'all. read more

Awesome experience today! It was my first time coming here and I am so glad that I did! The staff was amazing and super nice! They explained the process and my options very clearly, making me feel very welcomed! Lots of laughs and smiles safely under masks, I will definitely be coming back :) Thank you! read more

Thaddeus ( I hope that's how to spell) was doing great! He delivered positive energy and made sure the store was looking tip top

Good store, it's definitely always crowded whenever I come here. I love how it has it's own parking lot! Super convenient especially for Garnet Ave. I always make a stop here whenever I'm shopping the boutiques in PB. I had never bought anything before until this week. I did find a bunch of steals for name brand items. It's not cheap for a used clothing store but I love how it's targeted at good brands for 20-something year olds LOL I walked out with a good armful of finds! read more

Being that I've been to multiple of the locations of this store in the past years, today will be my last day coming to this one specific. And, if you think that maybe you should check it out, don't waste your time. Go to the Hillcrest location. Maybe it's the fact the manager has changed, but I wouldn't necessarily just put it on that. The service is trash here. The "buyers" judge your clothes off of what they would wear, and not what the store could use for hood stock. And, you can tell by their inventory being so inflated by nothing anyone wants to actually buy. "Vintage" reprints, T shirts that Zumiez sells for cheaper on their sales rack brand new, and shoes no one cares to stop to even take a look at. They don't greet you when you walk in like they used to, just continue to carry on the conversations with the other workers there about weekend plans, or life outside of work. The snotty attitude, side eyes, and comments like you aren't standing right in front of them are funny to hear because it's a customer service based business. I understand fashion is subjective to the person, but if your whole staff is dressed in hot topic throw aways that don't even go together, don't hire them to do this job. Lastly, I said buyers up there with quotes because they don't even know the brands of the stuff they are purchasing. They passed on an $80 shirt I brought in because a tiny little hole that would go unrecognized if you were wearing it, just to buy a Harley shirt off of me with stains, hole, neck line tattered. Tactic makes no sense. Don't waste your time here. read more

waited for 2 1/2 hours after being told the wait was 30 minutes over the phone for them to choose 4 items of lululemon and vuori out of my large bag of clothes and offered $19 for clothes totaled at over $200 together. biggest waste of time ever!! read more

Always find things here. Seems very small and crowded, but they do quality picking with correct/reasonable pricing. Fitting rooms are nicer than the hillcrest location, feel larger and more spaced out, carpeted too I think. read more

Tip if you are selling your clothes: call in ahead of time and ask what they are currently buying I brought in 2 large bags of clothes hoping to make a little cash and was actually surprised that they bought all but 3 items. The girl helping me was nice and extremely helpful in answering any questions I had. If they decide to purchase your clothes you can either receive 50% back in store credit or 30% cash back. The best thing about this location is that they have their own parking lot as compared to their other location in Hillcrest. read more

Was very disappointed with the PB location I will not be returning and stick to Hillcrest from now on. Trashy clothes and the people who buy do not know how to choose clothes. They must have bad taste, out of my two bags of clothing they only bought two items and it would not have been the two items that I thought were the best. So the buyer named Hannah was sweet I remember her name because that's my name as well, but her supervisor in the pink jumpsuit said "we don't need that" to every item. It was ridiculous especially considering the items in their store were not anything I would buy, ever! Like I said I'll be sticking to the Hillcrest location. read more

Came here over the long weekend and had a return in my hands that I made sure the staff new about - the item had tags on and I also had my itemized receipt tucked into the pocket of the pants. When it came to trying stuff on that I wanted to buy at the store, the staff at the dressing rooms kept hinting at the notion that I was stealing when I told her that the item in my hands were not apart of the things that I wanted to try on. I felt racially profiled since I was the only non-white person at the store, and the staff at the dressing rooms kept insisting for me to wait in line to do the return because I guess this would've made her more "comfortable"? She ended up putting me and my friend into dressing rooms next to each other on 1/2 of the dressing room side, isolated from everyone else. Had no problems in the dressing room until my friend had trouble pulling down the zipper to a grey quilted jacket that was broken and stuck. I told him for the price it wasn't worth it to buy a jacket that was broken but he was still adamant on trying it on so I tried pushing the zipper down for him, to which the same dressing room lady had another issue with. When I explained to her why I was so close next to his room (even though she literally put us in rooms only an inch apart) she took the item from my hands and frustratedly tried pulling down the zipper as well, which she wasn't successful with either. After she had trouble with the item, she gave it back to us without saying anything and proceeded to talk to another customer instead in a different tone of voice (surprise, he's white). Came out the dressing room with clothes we wanted in one hand, and clothes we didn't want in another hand to hand back and she counted through all of our items 3 times. Horrible experience at this specific Buffalo, I felt disrespected and racially profiled/unwelcomed. read more

Did a little experiment with you fake people buying/selling clothing at this location. I brought a few boxes of clothing I wanted to sell/trade that day I wore sweatpants hoodie and had my hair pulled back no makeup . They did not take 1 thing . Not 1 ! The next week I wore a cute little hipsterish outfit with my makeup SNATCHED to sell THE SAME BOXES OF CLOTHING ! I walked out with $142...... this is just sad. read more

LOVE THIS STORE. Basically a super trendy/hip thrift store. They have mens and womens clothing, shoes, hats, accessories, bathing suits and more! .I have found so many good things here! I have gotten a North Face jackets and my outfits for Burning Man. They really have it all. It's a store for all shapes, sizes and styles. Fitting rooms to try things on. Good prices. Friendly staff. Free 2 hour street parking or paid parking lot. The best part is if you bring them a bag of your old clothing they will give you cash for the items they want! You can't beat it. The stuff they don't want I just take to Goodwill after. Good for the environment buying recycled clothing and good for your pocket as everything is super cheap! read more

I love this store and the prices! The staff has always been super friendly. I have never sold clothing here before though so this review is based off my purchase quality and shopping customer experience. read more

Employees are rude and i'll equipped to work in retail. I booked an 11:45 am selling appointment and got there on time just to be told i had to wait an hour for other peoples appointments. I was on my lunch break and could not casually wait an hour. read more

I was just in to sell some of my clothes & waited in line way longer than intended. Jordan helped me & was so helpful and sweet. Jordan made my experience go from a 1 star to 5! read more

Prices are expensive and only caters to 20-somethings. I couldn't find many items that seemed classic or timeless. More trendy retro.

They have a pile of junk I had brought expensive fashionable clothes to sell them much nicer then anything they have their inexperienced buyers didn't take anything my clothes are within 2 years old size 9 I'm a 7 now so needed to do some spring cleaning. They need older more experienced buyers that have a clue.... read more

Believe her name is Danika. She is just naturally sweet awesome and attentive. She took the time to help me consign my items when the computer was acting a fool. Still kept her calm. Everyone there is super friendly. Love to sell my stuff there. read more

I can safely say that 94% of the previous negative reviews of Buffalo Exchange are strictly opinionated, but I suppose opinions are what Yelp is based upon anyway. So I'll let it slide.. except for one. I know a few people that work there, and they absolutely do not sell the clothes that are meant to be donated. In fact, I somehow manage to be in there as the donation center comes to pick them up daily. Just look at a few articles in the massive pile of clothing next to the registers. It's getting donated.. trust me. No one wants to buy your "Tommy Gear" sweatshirt I will say that it can get pretty busy on the weekends, and at the first of the week for the buy line. I suppose the early week rush comes from those who have spent all of their money on alcohol in PB and need to replenish funds by selling clothes rather than calling mom. I think the pricing is fair. I buy a Ben Sherman shirt every week for 20 dollars, and any given Ben S. shirt is over $90 anywhere else you look. They buy things that are remotely new, so I know I am not getting my dads Ben Sherman from the 1980s. Though, if it were my dad's Ben Sherman shirt from the 1980s I can trust it would be in good condition and priced accordingly. If you want AMVETS or Goodwill, Buffalo Exchange isn't for you. If you want new(ish) gently used clothing at a fair price, it is. My infamous one sentence review: "Have a go at Buffalo Exhchange, but make sure you save some money for the drunken weekend." read more

Why shop here? Everything is as expensive as going to the actual store to buy on sale items. You can hang old clothes neatly and play current tunes, but you're still a thrift store. read more

Trying to sell clothes to this junk store was the biggest waste of time EVER. Stood in line for 30 minutes with FOUR bags of clothes. Brand names- Burberry, Juicy, BCBG, Bebe, CK, J Crew, Abercrombie, etc. Had tons of stuff never worn before. They bought nothing!!! The girl kept talking about how all they wanted was new trendy shirts that hang off the shoulder, and that nobody would buy regular shirts. It was ridiculous. I took all my beautiful clothes to the stores in Hillcrest and they bought them all! read more

Friggin' seriously? Why the hell is something that someone else has already worn priced at $17.99? Something that wasn't even unique? If I need some basic shirts, I can go to Target and get them cheaper, or even Everything $5.99 downtown, and they would be new! This place is so over-rated. I have found cuter used clothes at Goodwill, and what's the difference between this place and Goodwill except the exorbitant prices and cooler-than-thou hipster attitude? Ugh. A former friend of mine shops here sometimes, and it explains a lot of his fashion sense (or lack thereof). You know the type. He's a beefy Hispanic guy, nearing age 30, with ugly-ass striped shirts, buttons open, over some obscure band tee shirt. Let's not forget the tight (women's) pants in horrid shades of khaki. If he shops here, why would you want to? This place is all hype and not nearly enough fashion. You could shop at three big-name thrift stores (Goodwill, Salvation Army, and a thrift store of your choice) and get more items at better prices instead of buying one item here. I'm sorry, but calling a place a boutique does not automatically make the clothes there cool. read more

Buffalo Exchange is hyped up way too much. Everyone is always bragging about how amazing it is..when in fact everytime I go, I only find a few items or get ripped off. haha I went there this weekend after I cleaned out my closet. I thought I had some worthy and valuable merchandise, but apparently not. haha I got a total of $13.82 for 4 items in cash or could get store credit of $19.82. So i took the cash because I didn't see anything in the store that I would buy and I figured that the $13.82 could go towards gas or grocery money. I just wonder how these people are choosen and what method they use to gauge the price and how they get granted the power of what is stylish and what is just an embarassment. I have to admit, that some of my clothes were outdated and werid, but I did have some expensive brand name items that they didn't even take. I love recycled clothing stores..actually that is basically the only places I shop haha but this buffalo exchange felt like a hit or miss. The people are really friendly and the store is very organized and has many items...shoes, shirts, pants, blouses, jackets, hats, purses, jewerly..but I guess this shopping trip was a def. miss. Maybe next time... read more

At the request of my little sister, we came to Buffalo Exchange. According to her, this place has as decent selection of unique bargains; although it may require a bit of time to find worthy articles of clothing. Although I am generally averse to spending time in clothing outlets, the 30 minutes we spent here was relatively painless because of the nice selection of indie music playing on the stereo. I can definitely appreciate me some "Dashboard" - Modest Mouse; "Young Folks" - Peter, Bjorn & John; and a few MGMT tracks. Given that the majority of the customers appeared to be eclectically stylish, yet relatively humble, females with tattoos and unique piercings, I was perplexed by the presence of two females who were looking through the racks while sporting Coach purses. I began to wonder if the majority of the customers thought this to be inherently contradictory or if they enjoyed seeing supporters of mainstream luxury goods diversifying their existential philosophies. Overall, this shop is a cool place. I'll have to come back when I have some clothes to sell at 35% of guesstimated resale value. read more

Extremely Unsatisfied shopping experience. A couple sales associates were discussing other customers in front of multiple customers which is very unprofessional. When I approached the manager on shift Kelly about my experience she was apologetic somewhat yet allowing one of the associates I mentioned about the gossiping behavior confront me directly when I was speaking to the manager seeing how I approached her directly. I hope Kelly saw this extremely rude aggressive behavior towards a customer and terminates this sales associate for her behavior. This should not go unnoticed seeing how this associate is a representative for this establishment & this behavior is completely unacceptable. read more

I frequent Buffalo Exchange a lot. I am woman who hoards clothes, as well as cycles through wardrobes. I wasn't sure what score to give this Buffalo Exchange for a few reasons. 1. Do not show up here to sell clothes without being fully aware that they are PICKY and they have the right to be. I only bring my very best and name brand items to sell here, and EVEN THEN, they don't take most of it. I get extremely frustrated when people show up here after having just cleaned out their closet, or moved, and they have HUGE garbage bags or storage bins full of items. Honestly, you are wasting your time (and mine, if I am behind you in line). You need to go through the items you plan on selling and meticulously choose items to sell based off of wear, season, and style. Buffalo Exchange is not Goodwill. 2. I always find the greatest items at this location in Pacific Beach. I am a born-again thrifter! My faith has been restored principally due to how selective this store is! I find name brand items ALL the time. Every time I head over to make some extra cash, I find myself spending it on their incredible and quirky jewelry wall! Great store, great dignity, stylish staff, AND THE BEST FOR HALLOWEEN and for inspiring Halloween creativity. instagram: @glowrae read more

If you're buying: I have been a "resale shop" junky for about 6 or 7 years now, and I started going to these Buffalo Exchanges about a year and a half ago. My relationship with this store started off vibrant, and excited, but for the past 5 or 6 months now I have been feeling let down and scammed. The prices are kind of high for it being used clothing, especially for the condition some of the items are in. The staff is very nice though, and they are helpful when it comes to starting a dressing room for you. The place has always been pretty hit or miss, but lately it's more of a "miss". If you're willing to spend 20-30 bucks on a sort of cute top or dress, then this place is for you. But if you're more of a bargain shopper, just know what you're getting into. If you're selling: As a seller, I have had a lot of luck selling my old clothes. As long as your clothing is in pretty good condition and it's still somewhat fashionable/trendy, chances are they'll take it (good name brands definitely don't hurt either). Everytime I sell there, I always sell more than I expect. Plus, the lines aren't typically long to sell. They're really good at getting sellers in & out. **ADDITION** This Buffalo exchange also has really good expensive (namebrand) items for a decent price. For instance, I bought an almost brand new Burberry handbag there the other day for $110. Like any resale shop, it's a hit or miss, but this Buffalo is definitely better than the Hillcrest one, that's for sure. read more

They get new stuff everyday so you have to check back often if you want to get lucky and find good things. Ive bought some good jackets I like. Its hit or miss on finding something good. I tried to re-sell here once. They didnt want hardly anything I brought in and then gave me a ridiculously low store credit. Better to just donate to a good cause your unwanted clothes at the salvation army up the street than to wait around for $14.50 credit. read more